Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES JOHN H. GASSAVVAY, OF GRAPE VINE, TEXAS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.

205,628, dated July 2, 1978; application tiled May 24, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN H. GASSAWAY, of Grape Vine, in the county ofTarrant and State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and useit, reference being had to the acco1npanying drawings, which form partof this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplings; and it consistsin the arrangement and combination of devices whereby the pin issupported in a raised condition; also, in a spring-slide for holding upthe link ready for coupling with another car, all of which will be morefully described hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings represent my invention.

(t represents the draw-head, upon the top of which is formed the twocars b. Pivoted in between these ears is the lever c, the longer andouter end of which is slotted, so as to receive the upper end of thecoupling-pin d. Secured to the top of this lever, and bearing againstthe rear side of the coupling-pin,-is the spring j, which serves to keepthe pin constantly forced forward, and to cause it to snap forward whenit is raised to its full height over the top of the draw-head.

The plate 9 is recessed in the top of the draw-head, and has its rearend turned upward, and against this turned-up end the spring t, securedto the under side of the lever, bears, for the purpose of causing therear end of the lever to fly upward as soon as the sliding plate pushesthe coupling-pin back- 'ward far enough to release it from its hold uponthe top of the draw-head, and for the purpose of forcing the plateforward when the rear end of the lever is forced downward for thepurpose of setting the pin ready for coupling. hen the cars run togetherthis sliding plate 9 is forced backward, so as to dislodge the pin,which immediately falls through the link and binds the cars together.The very act of raising the pin into position again, again forces theplate g forward, so that its front end will project beyond the outer endof the draw-head a.

To the rear end of the lever 0 may be fastened either the hand-levers l,which project out beyond each side of the car, or a rod which reaches upto the top of the car, thus enabling the ears to be coupled or uncoupledwithout exposing the brakemen to any risk or danger.

Recessed in the under side of the draw-head a is the plate 0, which hasits front end so formed as to hold up the link ready for coupling whenthe cars are run together, and has its rear end to project downward, asshown, for a suitable spring, a, to bear against. This spring it keepsthe front end of the linkholder always pressed out-ward beyond the endof the draw-head to until the ears run to gether, when it moves back outof the way.

Pivoted in the lower end of the couplingpin, or formed thereon, is aheaded projection,

l, which is heavier on one side, so as to swing backward, and which,when the pin is down through the link, projects through the opening 2 inthe link-holder. As long as this linkholder is pressed outward beyondthe front end of the draw-head this projection passes down through thehole and can play freely up and down at will. WVhen, however, thelinkholder is forced backward to its full extent, the lower end of thepin passes through the large hole 4, catching in front of the two points3, and thus prevents the link-holder from moving backward. As soon asthe pin is raised upward a slight distance the link-holder instantlyslips forward, the projection 1 passing between the two points 3.

When the pin is raised sufficiently high the link-holder at once slipsforward, so as to support the link properly, ready to couple again, andwhen the pin is again lowered the headed projection 1 rests upon thelink-holder. In this position the car is ready to couple again, and assoon as the link-holder is pressed backward by another draw-head the pindrops through the large hole 4.

By means of a link-holder thus constructed not only can the-link be heldready for coupling, so that the brakemen need never go between the cars,but the coupling-pin can be prevented from being drawn out of the link;and when it is desired that the link-holder shall not be in the way, itcan be moved back, so as not to project beyond the front end of thedraw-head a, by simply forcing the lower end of the pin down through thelarge hole in its front end.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of thelever a, bolt or coupling-pin d, having a notch in the front side of itslower end, so as to snap over the top of the draw-head, and spring f,substantially as shown. 7

2. The combination of the lever 0, pin d,

J OHN HENRY GASSAWAY. Witnesses:

THOMAS M. BUCK, A. M. HOPE.

